The cost of Windows application packaging has been holding organizations back from achieving greater levels of application coverage for years.
Legacy processes. Manual steps. Bottlenecks at scale. These things don’t belong in modern enterprise IT environments, and your manual Windows application packaging process shouldn’t either.
That process might have served you well once. But the reality is: it can't keep up with today’s pace of change. Just like trying to manage today's hybrid environments with a spreadsheet and a whiteboard - it technically works, but you're setting yourself up for attack.
The problem: Packaging costs that don't scale
Today, the average enterprise uses over 1,000 applications. And while the number of apps hasn't exploded, the amount of change happening to them has. Most IT teams are still stuck with manual, costly packaging processes that can't keep up. Even worse? In some cases, employees are taking matters into their own hands. According to Atlassian, 57% of them admit to using at least one unapproved app every single day.
One client I worked with had a team of three dedicated packagers. Intelligent people, working hard. However, by their own admission, they were constantly overwhelmed with new Windows application requests and application owner coordination. When we automated their core process, application readiness time dropped from 20 days to 15 minutes. More importantly, the team finally had space to breathe, and could start contributing effectively to higher-level strategic projects.
This is what we see again and again. The same painful trade-off: spend more on bigger teams to handle Windows application packaging demand, or accept blind spots and risk. Many organizations are doing both - yet still paying too much for a process that still leaves them exposed.
It doesn't have to be this way.
The solution: Reduce packaging costs with automation
Automation can change the game. With the right toolset, you can:
- Use automation engines to package and repackage Windows applications to your standards
- Automate installation, shortcut launch and uninstallation smoke testing
- Ensure package publishing and management consistency
- Subscribe to Windows application updates that initiate auto-packaging and testing of newer versions
- Provide self-service capability to capture information and reduce IT workload
Is it a big shift? Sure. But it’s also a smarter one.
How to build the business case for automation
Change is rarely easy. And if you’re trying to shift a process that touches every corner of the business, you need buy-in. My advice? Start with simple numbers. Ask:
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What’s your current threshold for a Windows app to be considered "managed" by IT?
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How many Windows apps do you package now? How many could be automated?
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How long does an average Windows app request take today?
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How many hours are lost to manual Windows app packaging every month?
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What could your team be doing instead?
In a recent study, digital workplace leaders told us that the average cost of a Windows application package today is an average of $646. Some organizations operate at levels far higher than this. Consequently, the ROI becomes clear. At Juriba, we walk teams through these numbers every day. We apply a blended rate across the resources involved, multiply that by the hours spent per Windows app based on complexity, and the cost speaks for itself.
It adds up fast. And yet, we still hear things like: "But this is how we've always done it" or "We'll automate it next quarter." If I had a dollar for every time I’ve heard that, I’d have... well, enough to fund your automation rollout.
Addressing resistance from within the team
Surprisingly, the biggest resistance doesn’t always come from leadership. It comes from the very teams doing the packaging. The term "turkeys voting for Christmas" is often cited.
And I get it. There’s fear that automation could replace people, or even worse, your own job. But here’s the truth: every company we work with keeps its team - and most expand it.
Why? Because automation doesn’t eliminate work, it elevates it. Instead of endless repetitive scripting and testing, these teams move on to:
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Designing app lifecycle strategies
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Developing and building new tools
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Scripting complex migrations
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Creating better diagnostic and training tools
They go from reactive task handlers to proactive enablers of the business.
It’s honestly one of the most satisfying things we get to see - teams who were buried in tedious work finally getting a chance to shine.
The future is automated: lead the change
Whether it’s from within or from the top down, this shift is inevitable. Every manual, repetitive process across the business is being reimagined right now. Application packaging won’t be the exception.
So the question isn’t if you should change. It’s whether you want to lead that change or wait until it’s handed to you.
If you’re ready to build a smarter, faster, more resilient IT foundation, your packaging process is the perfect place to start.
Is it a big shift? Sure. But it’s also a smarter one.
Building the case for change
Change is rarely easy. And if you’re trying to shift a process that touches every corner of the business, you need buy-in. My advice? Start with simple numbers. Ask:
What’s your current threshold for an app to be considered "managed" by IT? How low could that go with automation?
How many apps do you package now? How many could you realistically manage with a modern tool?
How long does it take to deploy an update across the estate? What if that dropped from weeks to minutes?
How many hours are spent packaging manually? What's the cost of that time?
What’s falling through the cracks because your team is stuck on repetitive work?
This is where the ROI becomes clear. At Juriba, we walk teams through these numbers every day. We apply a blended rate across the resources involved, multiply that by the hours per app, and the cost speaks for itself.
It adds up fast. And yet, we still hear things like: "But this is how we've always done it" or "We'll automate it next quarter." If I had a pound for every time I’ve heard that, I’d have... well, enough to fund your automation rollout.
Addressing the pushback
Surprisingly, the biggest resistance doesn’t always come from leadership. It comes from the very teams doing the packaging.
And I get it. There’s fear that automation could replace people. But here’s the truth: every company we work with keeps its team - and most expand it.
Why? Because automation doesn’t eliminate work, it elevates it. Instead of endless scripting and testing, these teams move on to:
Designing app lifecycle strategies
Building self-service tools
Scripting complex migrations
Creating better diagnostic and training tools
They go from reactive task handlers to proactive enablers of the business.
It’s honestly one of the most satisfying things we get to see - teams who were buried in tedious work finally getting a chance to shine.
Ready or not, automation is coming
Whether it’s from within or from the top down, this shift is inevitable. Every manual, repetitive process across the business is being reimagined right now. Application packaging won’t be the exception.
So the question isn’t if you should change. It’s whether you want to lead that change, or wait until it’s handed to you.
If you’re ready to build a smarter, faster, more resilient IT foundation, your packaging process is the perfect place to start.
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